#2 MS Word and Student Protection

          I have been using Microsoft Word for school since I was a very young child.  I first used it in second grade.  We were given a day where we were taught the basics of Microsoft Word and Powerpoint.  Since then I have used it every year of my school career.  Every english class that I have taken, starting in 4th grade on, has required me to write essays using Microsoft Word.  I have also had to use it to create various other assignments such as vocabulary lists, brochures, resumés, etc.  In seventh grade, I had to become used to the apple version as my parents bought a macbook so I am now proficient in both apple and windows.  In my experience for teachers and Word, they tend to use it to create handouts for the class.  Any kind of rubric, list, lab, test, quiz, or anything else one could think of that the students would take a copy of was created using Microsoft Word.

          Personally, growing up in the public school system, my only experiences with copyright were through issues of paraphrasing.  However I never viewed it as someone else's intellectual property that has its own legal rights until I was well into high school.  As someone looking to get good grades, all that I cared about was not failing due to paraphrasing and didn't think about it anymore than that.  I believe that this is in part due to the fact that I was never asked to cite anything other than information that I researched while writing a paper.  I was on occasion asked to cite videos or movie clips, however not as often as one might expect, therefore I never really thought about the copyright issues.  When I am a teacher I will definitely ensure that my students are taking the proper precautions to not infringe on someone's intellectual property.  Any information that they glean while researching should be cited, and any clips, videos, or images, they use should be cited as well.  I will be clear to inform them of my policies through the class syllabus.  I will also encourage my students to educate themselves on the idea of fair use and the importance of protecting their own intellectual property.

          In order to solve the issue of unacceptable technological use, I will make it abundantly clear in our first class that it will not be tolerated.  It will also be explicitly laid out in the syllabus how to properly use technology in the classroom.  If I would like to use my students work as an example, I will make sure to ask them ahead of time and clarify that it will be done anonymously.  If I do not receive consent to display the student's work, I will find something else to use an example, weather it be from a textbook, or another student.  Finally, in order to ensure that the students' records are kept safe, I will keep my login information absolutely secret.  If a student requires the use of my computer, I will make sure that they log into their account, or if they must use mine, that they are monitored for the duration of the experience.